User:Marcd30319/Marcd30319 version of Destroyer Squadron 60

Destroyer Squadron Sixty (DESRON SIX ZERO), also known as Destroyer Squadron 60 and often abbreviated as DESRON Sixty or DESRON 60, is a squadron of the United States Navy. Destroyer Squadron 60 is one of three U.S. Navy destroyer squadron permanently based outside the continental United States.

History
During World War Two, Destroyer Squadron 60 operated with Task Group 77.2, the Bombardment and Fire Support Group for the 1945 Invasion of Lingayen Gulf. DESRON 60 was part of the destroyer screen during the preliminary bombardment, minesweeping support, underwater demolition teams support, assault landing, fire support, and covering operations for this invasion. Three of its destroyers came under intense kamikaze attack; they were the USS Walke (DD-723), USS Barton (DD-722), and USS Allen M. Sumner (DD-692).

Current operations
Destroyer Squadron 60 was established on 19 February 2003 and homeported in Gaeta, Italy. DESRON 60 provides the Commander United States Sixth Fleet with a permanently-assigned destroyer squadron, providing operational control over destroyers and frigates deployed to the Mediterranean. Effective Commander Destroyer Squadron 60 (COMDESRON 60) is the commander of Task Force 65, the surface combatant task force of the U.S. Sixth Fleet.

Africa Partnership Station
On 29 October 2007, the first Africa Partnership Station (APS) began under the command of Captain John Nowell while serving as the commodore of Destroyer Squadron 60. Departing from Naples, Italy, the APS task group, CTF-365, visited Senegal, Liberia, Ghana, Cameroon, Gabon, Angola, and Sao Tome and Principe. Africa Partnership Station 2007 developed cooperative partnerships among the regional maritime services while improving safety and security for the host nations. APS 2007 also supported over 20 humanitarian assistance projects during this deployment.

During her tour as Commander Destroyer Squadron 60, then-Captain Cynthia N. Thebaud commanded two multi-national African Partnership Station deployments that focused on maritime security capacity-building in West and Central Africa.

European Phased Adaptive Approach
On October 5, 2011, US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced that the USN will station four Aegis warships at Naval Station Rota, Spain, to strengthen its presence in the Mediterranean Sea and bolster the missile defense of NATO as part of the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA). On 16 February 2012, it was reported that the guided-missile destroyers USS Donald Cook (DDG-75) and USS Ross (DDG-71) will be relocated to Rota during Fiscal Year 2014, followed by USS Porter (DDG-78) and USS Carney (DDG-64) in fiscal year 2015. On 9 May 2013, Commander Destroyer Squadron 60 was formally designated to perform type commander administrative command functions and oversight in support of four ballistic missile defense capable AEGIS destroyers to be homeported at Naval Station Rota, Spain.